Half Time
by EmberwolfSasha
Summary: Macao knows it's wrong. So very wrong.


Hey guys! Here's another fic for Litashe's writing challenges. It was a Macao/Cana story this time. I've never thought much about this pairing so this was rather fun to do. As usual, Fairy Tail doesn't belong to me. Blah blah. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Half Time<p>

Macao thought getting a girlfriend would help. He could happily fall in love with his new girlfriend and forget _her_ and _she_ could learn to forget him and find someone else. The divorced father of one was not dumb. He knew damn well that Cana Alberona was attracted to him…and that the attraction was mutual. Her choice of attire certainly didn't make it easy to ignore her. Neither did her oddly mature (by Fairy Tail standards) personality, drinking aside.

Suffice it to say his new girlfriend didn't even begin to compare to Fairy Tail's biggest drinker. She was pretty enough and good with kids, but she was kind of naïve and fragile. The last time he'd come home wounded she'd nearly fainted at the sight of the bandages alone. The bandages Cana had scoffed at and called him a baby over, all with that fondly concerned tone she seemed to reserve only for him.

Macao sighed softly as he opened the doors to the guild and watched Romeo run in to greet everyone. The kid was fascinated with magic and those that used it. That his own child adored Cana over his current girlfriend also didn't help Macao's situation one bit. Thankfully Romeo seemed more interested in clinging to Natsu that day then clinging to Cana. The man moved to sit with Wakaba as usual until he caught Mirajane's eyes and she beckoned him over.

"Macao," the white haired beauty began when he sat at the bar, "do you know what's wrong with Cana?"

He gulped. _Crap._ "No, why?"

"She's been drinking twice as much as she used to and she seems kind of lonely. You guys were drinking partners so I thought you might know."

"I don't know anything, Mirajane," Macao responded as sincerely as he could. Of course he knew what was bothering her. She liked him but he had a girlfriend. He'd be equally disturbed if she went and got herself a boyfriend at this point. His girlfriend just wasn't helping him forget Cana. Whenever he kissed his girlfriend he found himself wondering why she didn't taste like alcohol, whenever they made love he was imagining someone else.

He felt dirty because of it. Cana was half his age! She was technically young enough to be his daughter and that scared him.

"Macao? Macao!" Cana's voice startled him out of his thoughts and he blinked at the large barrel in his face. The barrel shifted downward and he saw Cana's concerned blue eyes. At his clueless blink, Mirajane and Cana shared a look and the transformation mage drifted down the bar to talk to Lucy.

"You alright, old man?" Cana asked at last.

_Please don't call me that!_ He thought harshly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Really? You look kinda lost to me. Have a drink."

As Cana passed her barrel over to him he narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. What was she trying to pull? Cana never offered her booze! She drank with others, yes, but share her own stuff? Never. When her expression didn't change and he found himself beginning to sink into her blue eyes he decided to heck with it and tossed his head back and drank from the barrel.

By the end of the night, Macao found himself thoroughly drunk with a slightly inebriated Cana sitting close enough he could feel the heat from her skin. He couldn't even remember when she had gotten so close but he knew it was dangerous. "Cana…" he started.

"How's Erin?" Cana cut him off quickly.

"Who?"

Cue eye roll from the woman – girl! – beside him. "Your girlfriend, idiot."

"Oh," Macao uttered smartly, "she's good. Great! She gets along well with Romeo."

"Romeo told me he hates her," Cana said shortly.

_Danger! Go find Wakaba now. Wakaba is safe…_ Macao thought, panicked. A quick glance showed him that his friend and most of the guild had already gone home.

"You're a terrible actor, Macao," Cana sighed, blue eyes gazing right into his.

Macao gulped but found he couldn't say anything. What was there to say? She'd clearly figured him out already. Well he could say… "You're beautiful. And smart. And funny." He paused briefly to frown at the bar. During that pause, Cana spoke up.

"But I'm half your age and we'll never work?" She filled in for him.

"Yes! No. I don't know." Even drunk as he was he knew his answer wasn't adequate. To his surprise, though, Cana laughed and patted him on the back.

"You're a good man, Macao. I don't care how old you are, I'll always love you for being a good man," she said earnestly. She leaned in closer to his face and it was then that he noticed that he'd been facing her. He felt warm lips brush his and a gentle exhalation of alcohol-tinted breath before she withdrew. "I'll convince you eventually that age doesn't matter, old man, so you'd better ditch Erin."

With that, Cana got up and wandered out of the guild, leaving a drunken Macao to watch after her like a dazed fool. He kind of hoped 'eventually' would be sooner rather than later.


End file.
